Hugo Palmer Saturday Blog | Newmarket & Goodwood
31 Jul 2026
Coral Racing Ambassador, Hugo Palmer, previews his five runners this Saturday, including the four that he sends to Goodwood for the final day of the Festival.
14:13 Newmarket – Donegal Rose
Donegal Rose is better than she showed at Chester last time. She actually banged her head in the stalls before the race and was a bit dazed, so I think we can put a line through that run.
She's a very light-framed filly and carries just 8st 2lb here, which should really suit her. This is one of the more valuable nurseries of the season and I'm always a little surprised it doesn't attract a bigger field.
She should appreciate the quick ground and, with that nice racing weight, I'm hopeful she can bounce back to form and be very competitive.
15:35 Goodwood – Dubai Bling & Stratusnine
Dubai Bling has been aimed at the Coral Stewards' Cup for quite a while now, so it's always been the plan to come here. He's drawn in stall two with plenty of early pace around him, which should help him settle into a good rhythm. Everything looks in place for him and I think he's coming here with a solid chance if the race unfolds as we'd hope.
Stratusnine did well to win last weekend and book his place in this race, but this is a slightly different test. He's drawn in stall five and can make his own running if he needs to, although I suspect there'll be plenty of pace on. My only slight concern is whether he'll enjoy coming down Goodwood's hill. He's been a terrific horse on flatter tracks, particularly at York, and this will tell us a bit more about him. There's so much prize money on offer that it was well worth taking our chance. He'll either handle the track and run a big race, or he won't, and we'll know where we stand before looking towards York.
16:10 Goodwood – We're Goosers
I'm really looking forward to seeing We're Goosers back over seven furlongs. He's got a lovely draw, he's been gelded since we last saw him and I think the quicker ground will suit him well. Everything looks to have fallen into place for him and, on paper, I'd say he's probably our best chance of the week. I'm very hopeful he can run a huge race.
16:45 Goodwood – Speyside
Speyside is a lovely horse making his debut and one I'm really excited about for the future. He's from a family we know well, with one brother running earlier on the card and another finishing second in the Vintage Stakes as a two-year-old. I don't doubt that his best days are still ahead of him, but he's showing plenty at home and I think he's a very nice prospect. Whether he'll quite know enough to win first time out remains to be seen, but I'd be delighted if he could finish in the first half-dozen and take plenty of experience from the run.
Hugo Palmer, Coral Racing Ambassador
14:13 Newmarket – Donegal Rose
Donegal Rose is better than she showed at Chester last time. She actually banged her head in the stalls before the race and was a bit dazed, so I think we can put a line through that run.
She's a very light-framed filly and carries just 8st 2lb here, which should really suit her. This is one of the more valuable nurseries of the season and I'm always a little surprised it doesn't attract a bigger field.
She should appreciate the quick ground and, with that nice racing weight, I'm hopeful she can bounce back to form and be very competitive.
15:35 Goodwood – Dubai Bling & Stratusnine
Dubai Bling has been aimed at the Coral Stewards' Cup for quite a while now, so it's always been the plan to come here. He's drawn in stall two with plenty of early pace around him, which should help him settle into a good rhythm. Everything looks in place for him and I think he's coming here with a solid chance if the race unfolds as we'd hope.
Stratusnine did well to win last weekend and book his place in this race, but this is a slightly different test. He's drawn in stall five and can make his own running if he needs to, although I suspect there'll be plenty of pace on. My only slight concern is whether he'll enjoy coming down Goodwood's hill. He's been a terrific horse on flatter tracks, particularly at York, and this will tell us a bit more about him. There's so much prize money on offer that it was well worth taking our chance. He'll either handle the track and run a big race, or he won't, and we'll know where we stand before looking towards York.
16:10 Goodwood – We're Goosers
I'm really looking forward to seeing We're Goosers back over seven furlongs. He's got a lovely draw, he's been gelded since we last saw him and I think the quicker ground will suit him well. Everything looks to have fallen into place for him and, on paper, I'd say he's probably our best chance of the week. I'm very hopeful he can run a huge race.
16:45 Goodwood – Speyside
Speyside is a lovely horse making his debut and one I'm really excited about for the future. He's from a family we know well, with one brother running earlier on the card and another finishing second in the Vintage Stakes as a two-year-old. I don't doubt that his best days are still ahead of him, but he's showing plenty at home and I think he's a very nice prospect. Whether he'll quite know enough to win first time out remains to be seen, but I'd be delighted if he could finish in the first half-dozen and take plenty of experience from the run.
Hugo Palmer, Coral Racing Ambassador
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